Washington, DC

Growing up, we lived 15 minutes outside of Washington DC, south of the city in Fairfax, Virginia. As a kid, we always had field trips to the Nation’s capitol, visiting museums like the Smithsonian, Air and Space, Natural History, American History, National Gallery of Art, then there was the White House, Washington Monument, the Capitol, where the House of Reps, Congress, and Senate meet. Oh, not to mention all those memorials, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, blah, blah, blah, boring, boring (at the time)!

When I went to college, I got full appreciation of the DC bar/club scene. My cousins who went to Georgetown would take me to not only there but Adam’s Morgan and Dupont Circle to hang out. Now, when I come back, the city is reminiscent of my childhood and youth and I enjoy every bit of the scenery. I find that it was a luxury growing up around all the history, culture, and politics of the nation's capital.

My mom and I went up to DC for the day and walked around to the Library of Congress and Capitol. We found the cutest French restaurant and enjoyed a perfect, simple bistro style lunch. We had a cabbage potage with mini ravioli w/bacon, mesclun mix greens, mussels steamed in Pernod and leeks, and sautéed calamari with pinenuts and balsamic vinegar. I enjoyed the day with Mom and explored a few new neighborhoods, Eastern Market and Capitol Hill.

One thing I love about home is also all of my friends and family, most of them are based around the area and I got a chance to see them all, including those loyal Hokie fans. Jess' Xmas tree lights are awesome and then Fess going to the VT vs. Georgia game, Jason almost there! Cooking for Summit and Radikka was awesome, while meeting up with old high school friends, Sara and Lindsey. Hanging with my cousins where it all started was great, thanks for taking me to my old local late night diner, Amphora...Duc and Steve!

The Philly Cheesesteak

I went to Culinary school in Philly and lived there for 2 years. I was not really fond of the cheesesteak when I lived there because I was in my ‘no beef’ kick. In fact, I was so into it that when my mom visited who rarely eats beef begged me to get her a true authentic Philly cheesesteak. I insisted no and tried to tell her the Chicken was just as good….she hasn’t forgiven me to this day!

I finally enjoyed cheesesteaks my roommate Sarah, dragged me to the old Pat vs. Geno’s corridor. Pat’s Steaks and Geno’s Steaks are literally right across from each other competing for who is Philly’s #1 Cheesesteak producer! There is a difference between both. Geno’s serves the sliced beef version, while Pat’s chops their beef as us non-Philadelphians are used to. I, personally like both but admire Geno’s cheese fries (with Cheez Whiz) which Sarah has to have not 1 or 2, but 3 squirts of Ketchup to add. What else is there to know about the Philly Cheesesteak? You MUST and I mean MUST eat it with Cheez Whiz, yes, you heard me…the fake processed gooey cheese! Oh, not to mention of the addition of grilled/fried onions and that squirt of Ketchup (via Sarah) and now my own version of Mustard as well. I have to mention that the ‘rolls’ are what makes the Philly cheesesteak, perfectly soft but not hard or stale, baked fresh by Amoroso Bakery. Locals say that the rolls are unique because of the Schuylkill River water.

How do you go about ordering something like this? The key word ‘wit whiz’. ‘Wit’ stands for ‘with fried onions’, while let’s say you just wanted only whiz, you say, ‘one, wiz, please’. The incorrect way to order is, ‘can I please get a cheesesteak with cheez wiz’? No, only a few syllables are allowed, if not, kicked back to the end of the line! In fact, I even saw it first hand, a guy got kicked out of the line when ordering (either that or he was really drunk, I only saw him getting hulled off)!

Bottom line, even if you don’t like Cheesesteaks or are vegetarians, just go for the experience as there is always at least a 20 minute wait…around both Pat’s or Geno’s!

Christmas East Coast style

I was delighted to spend a full week at home, back East, I needed a change in weather! The holidays are always filled with love, family/friends, laughter and of course food! We usually gather at my aunt’s house and my aunts all make different dishes. I prepared Braised Beef Short Ribs and Yukon Gold Mash Potatoes while my mother prepared her famous, Salade Russe (Russian Salad). My uncle brought Oysters and shuckedabout 50 outside with glass of wine in hand. We were all treated to his Baked Oysters, garnished with spring onions and parm cheese. Other dishes were Pork Tenderloin, Red Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Buttered Shrimp, Vietnamese Spring rolls, Skewered Chicken, and my aunt’s newest addition of pear, walnut and apple salad. Desserts were the typical Buche de Noel which I have never found a liking to since birth and my cousin Margaret’s home-made “petit fours”.

Christmas day, I was lucky enough to cook in my aunt’s state of art kitchen for a small group of family members. Highlights were the Seafood ‘Trio’ of Poached Shrimp and Avocado Salsa, Blue Crabcakes with Red Pepper Aioli, and Sashimi of Scallops poached in Leek Beet and Goat Cheese ‘Napoleon’, Mint Persillade Crusted Baby Rack of Lamb with a Pomegranate Reduction, Quinoa w/Brussel sprout leaves and rainbow chard and for dessert that DARNED Buche de Noel again, my Poached Pears in Red Wine w/Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and assorted Chocolate Truffles.

I cooked for my friends one night in Baltimore too and even visited Philly where it all started, my food journey! Being back East reminded me of dreary, cold but Christmas like weather which I really did appreciate! Thanks to all that let me cook for them!

Cutting Boards

One typical day at work, my co-worker Mike mumbled something about making cutting boards in his wood shop class. My ears perked up and asked if it would be possible for him to make one for me! To have someone, especially a good friend, design a custom cutting board is a Chef’s dream come true! We studied on which wood would be best for a sturdy cutting board. Then discussed end grains, non end grains, double-sided, etc, etc. He also attempted to explain how he was going to actually construct the board. Yes, I am a visually learner so that was difficult! A few days later, we went to buy at a place specializing in all varietals of wood/lumber.

For your information, the best woods for cutting boards are Maple, Walnut, or Cherry. We also looked into exotic wood like Blood, Teak, Zebra, but after some calculations; it turned out to be very costly. After all, I hadn’t seen Mike’s work yet so to trust him with such expensive material!?! (Sorry Mike:) I finally agreed on Cherry wood. Mike picked out a 5 ft tall piece of what seemed to be resemble a 4X4 piece of plank! How on earth was he going to make a cutting boarding with that?

I was completely wrong about Mike’s abilities and he presented me with his specially designed, handcrafted masterpiece. He is in the process of putting mineral oil on it for the next 7 days but it is beautiful. I cannot wait to take it home and even toyed with lugging the 10 lb board to cooking gigs all over Southern California. Thank you Mike for your work in which I will cherish forever.

Ghetto Gourmet!

I am always looking for new restaurants and food clubs to get involved in. As you well know, Food blogs are quite popular these days and while researching the web one day, I found out about the ‘Ghetto Gourmet.’ To summarize, it’s an underground sort of club that highlights sharing food, music, and entertainment with complete strangers. I definitely had to check it out and dragged my cousin Caroline. We were able to get reservations on line as they sold out instantly after being featured on a local website, Daily Candy.

Off to a stranger’s home in Silverlake (the ‘old hollywood’ of LA) with a bottle of wine and 2 pillow cushions as requested from the confirmation email. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by Jeremy founder/owner of the Ghetto Gourmet and then welcomed by Craig the owner of the home. As we walked in, we caught a glimpse of the guest Chef preparing for plate out in the kitchen. Five ft away, a room of dimmed lights, a cozy fireplace, plate-set tables with around 25 guests, and numerous opened wine bottles awaited. I was in HEAVEN, so we quickly found floor space around a table, plopped down our pillows and sat down. Immediately, we met friends; a tour guide of LA, a full time blogger, a PR manager, an Interior designer, and a sound mixer. Interesting folk who love food! After a little mingling it up, Jeremy came out with introductions and explained the purpose of the evening. We’d be treated to a Chilean pianist, a stand up comedic, and 4 courses of food. Jeremy concluded by saying how fortunate we were to be able to get together and enjoy local artists and food.

Being apart of this enchanting and wonderful event struck a chord in me. I am extremely lucky to have found the art of true expression that food represents. I also realized how there are such great people in this world. They too, are seeking the good life! :)

San Francisco

It’s amazing how SF is 6 hours north of Los Angeles and the atmosphere seems to be of a another state. I love San Francisco and visiting it a true vacation for me. Whenever I go there all I want to do is indulge in the culinary gifts and delights. To me SF is the ‘New York’ of the west coast. Restaurants are abundant, awesome purveyors of local produce, plethora of culture, not to mention the true beauty of the place. I was out of my mind when I stepped into the Farmer’s Market! The produce was incredibly fresh and full of myriad of colors, friendly local farmers and SF foodies fighting to just plain....eat! I was dying for my knife, a hot flame, and pot to cook.

In the Embarcadero, there are nothing but food specialty shops for Cheese, Meats, Pastries, Chocolates, Mushrooms, Wine, and even Caviar. I had a field day trying all the delectables. Among them were the Organic Beef hot dog, French macaroons, and my ultimate find of Honey Truffled Mustard. I am hooked! I was lucky enough to explore a bunch of San Francisco restaurants, Zuni Café, Slanted Door, Bar Tartine, and a new restaurant Range. My favorite being Slanted Door, a restaurant by Charles Phan, trendy but hearty and authentic Vietnamese food. When I traveled to SF, it was Christmas time, air crisp but not too cold, perfect weather to eat, drink, and be merry.

Tacos!

Back East, I grew up living off of Taco Bell and the local Tippy’s Taco House, this was our extent of Mexican cuisine. Naturally when I moved to the west coast and had my first taco I was horrified! I hated these tacos, I mean seriously, why do you need 2 corn tortillas and why are they not hard corn or soft flour (like at TB) and for the love of god, where is the sour cream, cheddar cheese and ground beef?

I am proud to say I have come full circle because I understand the function of each ingredient in the West Coast Taco. Let’s start off with the tortillas, not one but two hold up condiments and drippings of the meat of choice. The tortilla consisting of corn masa flour, not fried but steamed, generates that authentic corn flavor. Sour cream and cheddar cheese smothers it all, so crispy Napa cabbage, roasted salsa, lime, and Mexican Cotija cheese suffice perfectly. My favorite tacos are ‘lengua’ and ‘cabeza’, yes this does translate to tongue and head in Spanish, the meat is tender and delicious. I can’t even begin to describe fish tacos; mahi-mahi, swordfish and a new one for me, Salmon.

If you want to live a full life and never have had a Taco west coast style, I highly suggest one. Give me a call, I’ll be first to take you to the local late night Taco Truck!

Thanksgiving

We all love or dread the Thanksgiving holiday. For me, I enjoy catching up with family, watching football, and most of seeing my aunts faces as their ‘specialty’ dish is served for the annual feast. Incredibly proud as they display the dish they have taken the time to prepare all day. I was lucky enough to have my mother visit from the East coast this year. She is a great cook whom I have appreciated all my life but cooking wise, just recently, even more than ever. I had the chance to watch her bake in my apartment, ‘Tarte Tatin’, the classic French dessert she has perfected!

My aunt Thanh is more inspiration for cooking as she prepared me a 4 course French meal when I was just 12 years old. She was the cook and hostess for the evening in Redondo Beach. She prepared the important dishes; the bird, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, salad, appetizers, and a special ‘Pork Tenderloin braised in Red wine and Black Olives.’ I came early just to give her a hard time in the kitchen which did not go over well as she was preparing for 20 people. She asked me to make the vegetables so I made ‘Deconstructed’ Green Bean Casserole and Roasted Bacon wrapped Asparagus. My aunt Hanh made a delectable ‘Salade Russe’ a classic French cold salad consisting of crab meat, potatoes, carrots, peas, mayonnaise. She threw in red beets and shrimp as a twist. Tim, my cousin, made mashed potatoes. We had store bought Pumpkin and Pecan pie, while a guest brought over a twist of flan and white cake from a Vietnamese bakery. I attempted something interesting, Pumpkin Panna Cotta topped with Caramelized Apples.

All and all, it was great to see my little cousins running rampid and share some food, wine, and conversation with my family. Prompts to my aunt Trang who chowed down on the wing of the Turkey, gotta love it.

Cooking in a small space

I have never really had an apartment of my own. So, it was important to prepare a meal for my family. My Mom was was in town and I invited my aunt Hoan and uncle Toan who are like my second parents and my cousins, Diep, Erik, Ben, Jack. I knew this would be a hard task, as my aunt and uncle are traditional Vietnamese eaters. Since Vietnamese food is highly influenced by the French, I thought it would be fitting to prepare a meal similar to both cuisines. Hence, I featured ingredients similar to Vietnam and France. For the Amuse Bouche; Poached Shrimp with Avacado Salsa, First Course; Celery root soup with Roasted Pumpkin seeds, Second Course; Braised Chicken (cooked in the new Le Creuset pot from Mom) in bay leaves, white wine, mushrooms with Red Mustard Greens over Forbidden Rice and Quinoa, and lastly Dessert; Poached Pears in Grappa with ice cream.

I felt my aunt, uncle, and mom were pleased as they gave me a thumbs up after the meal. My apartment maybe small (700 square ft) but I only needed a space big enough for 5X3 ft table to share such a meaningful dinner.

The Love of Cooking

One of my goals after graduating culinary school was to establish myself as a solid cook and Chef. This comes with studying, cooking, and mistakes which are never ending! I am slowly starting my own buisness cooking intimate dinner parties for the willing whom are adventuresome and passionate!

While LA is not known for the best restaurants in the nation, they do have the best produce. Seeking these ingredients from local farmer's markets has been an amazing discovery. I try to highlight this along with fresh yet simple dishes in my cooking. As my business continues to grow, I find myself very fortunate... cooking dinner parties, in beautiful homes and meeting extremely interesting people in Southern Cal.

HOT AS H*LL = Qualcomm Stadium

Beautiful weather!? ... Can you feel the heat? ..... Maria and Sarah (Right)

Working and developing frozen Mexican foods has its perks! Turns out our Marketing team partnered up with the NFL. This means fantastic advertisements and free tickets to NFL games! Being that LA has no NFL Team, rooting for either the Raiders or Chargers is the next best thing. After a little wheeling and dealing, I managed to get my hands on 4 San Diego Chargers tickets. I decided to take Carly, Sarah, and Maria.

We chose to meet Old Town, SD, where we would take the tram to Qualcomm Stadium. Upon arrival to the Stadium, was mass exodus leading to pure chaos. Apparently, there is no main entrance but 5, with long lines of fans wrapped around the perimeter. As for the Chargers fans, not sure if they were going for 2 different teams since half sported baby blue jerseys, others, navy blue. I was told the baby blue was the “throwback” from the 70’s. On the other hand, Browns fans were clearly marked with ‘poop’ brown and in my opinion ‘puke’ orange colors, not the orange like the Hokies! When we finally got there, our seats were perfect, 20 rows back from the field, 15 yard line, with one exception, towards the sun. Most people would have enjoyed getting a sun tan, but no, not this sort of sun! Maybe if there was a slight bit of ventilation in Qualcomm stadium, it would be pleasant. But as soon as we were seated, I started hyperventilating, no, not due to the beer but of overheating. Using the free team poster as a shield and stripping down to a white tank top…yes, think derogatory! I lasted until the end of the 3rd quarter. Even searching for any possible cloud to divert the heat for a minute was exhausting. Damn California, not a cloud in the sky! Give it up to Carly who attempted to kill 2 birds with one stone beating the heat and showing team spirit! She purchased 25 dollar Chargers KIDDIE t-shirts, one white and one blue (for me) …NAVY I might add!

Highlights: The charger ‘mascots’, tour of Little Italy, Alaskan fusion dinner, Vanee’s stories of UAE , the drive with Carly, hanging w/the SD bia-tches, and interrogation on my liking of dogs!

Isakaya- Japanese Tapas

There is a new trend n LA called Izakaya (Japanese pub food) which has supposedly been around Japan forever. It’s the concept of Japanese happy hour where beer, sho-zu (Korean version of Sake), and 'tapas' are served. I read about this and was interested in going. The restaurant I found lies in Little Tokyo, downtown LA which in itself is an adventure. Sushi in LA is amazing, only because when I moved here I hated raw fish, now crave it. I am the not expert but definitely can distinguish the difference between day old and fresh stuff. The scene at the place is clean and there were tons of ‘locals’ (Japanese folk). I’ll take my Mom when she visits as she is the one to please for sushi. I enjoyed the shiso wrapped minced sardines and also the Toro….just like butter. How about the Yellowtail collar? To my fellow chefs, I believe when they filet the fish, instead of chopping off the head and some, they carefully cut around the neck and save the meat around those bones….hence ‘collar’. The tofu stew was interesting but not a highlight. I’d go back for straight up fresh fish, Spanish Mackerel, Yellowtail, and of course Toro, comparing right up to Morimoto in Philadelphia!

It's a Doggy Dog World

Rescue Race


Who is this celeb with Hayley?

For most of you who know me, I have always been a cat person, a.k.a., Tiffy, RIP 2005. Since I moved here, I have discovered the underworld of dog loving ‘crazies’ of whom my cousin, Tina is apart of. She not only runs her own luxury pet products company (http://www.jaxandbones.com/) but is apart of a great organization called the Rescue Train (http://www.therescuetrain.org/), run by her friend, Lisa. These people are truly passionate, caring, individuals that do this solely for the animals. They literally pick animals off of the streets and try to find homes for them. I was recently apart of the Rescue Train charity event/5K race at the Rose Bowl and it was fun time. Tammy’s Jammies debuted LIVE as I was the DJ for the Pet Fashion show put on by Jax and Bones!
Merlyn the cat!
On another note, I have been slowly but surely trying to get to know dogs and I must say they are pretty smart animals. For instance, when Jerry, Tina’s dog was pulling clothes out of my bag and tossing it all over the floor, I figure he was trying to ‘get to know me’ or when Jax, her other dog, was shadowing every move and crowding me as I was preparing a 3-course meal, I figure he just wanted to taste my cuisine to find out what the hype was about. Sorry, constantly saying “good boy” or “no begging” to dogs gets tiring. Cats still rule and they understand you better when you ignore them and don’t need walks and instead of loud barks, they give cute, quiet little meows for attention. However, I am still giving dogs a chance….to be continued… :)

Pumpkin Carving Fun!

Please vote Francois vs. George (L, R), note George eyebrows, gotta give Francois his props on the mustache!
This would be the year that my pumpkin would woo them all! Well, enough to be posted on a blog! I carved the pumpkin and also used the seeds and pieces and prepared, 'kettle corn style' seeds and sautéed pumpkin and basil. Tina lacked creativity that night and forfeited her pumpkin to Lisa. Lisa was a fierce carving competitor but in the end did not come close to my cutie, George. She named hers Francois. All and all, it was fun and I promise next year my carving skills will be much improved.

Snoop Dog Concert

I read somewhere that Snoop would be in putting a concert to benefit his "Snoop" Football Little League. While the man does get in trouble with the law, I have listened to him my whole life. From when he collaborated with Dr. Dre in the early 90's and most recent with Justin Timberlake (my secret boyfriend), I have always loved his music! My dream come true to see Snoop Dog perform in the LBC...or at least 40 miles from it. This was the best concert I have ever been to! For all our VT folks, we wish you guys were there cause he kicked it back old skool. The scene was crazy, all sorts of folk, old, young, white, black, asian, there was no discrimination.

Damian Marley opened up and the smell of 'herb' radianted through the crowd. Next was the Pussy Cat Dolls featuring Snoop singing the latest top 40 'Buttons' mix. He was smooth and sleek wearing a black velour jogging suit with '20' etched on the back and his infamous Snoop Dog logo on the front. Unfortunately, afterwards, he left the stage and we had to endure what seem to be high school dance routine songs by the Pussy Cat Dolls. 20 minutes later, Snoop came out again with literally 30 of his friends in the background while he went through a hodge podge of oldies but goodies. He started off slow with a rendition of P-I-M-P by 50 cent which was odd. Hysteria filled the LA Greek theatre as he lead into..."Nuthin' but a G Thang", followed by "Gin and Juice, It's Like This and Like That, Gansta Party and Bow Wow WoW, Yippe Yo Yippe Yeh." I was screaming like a teenager when "Beautiful" and "Drop Like it's Hot" ended the show.

It was a rockin' time and made me realize that Snoop Doggy Dog is not only an icon but a legend with classic and eloquently spoken schizel-dizel lyrics. He makes us remember that life is just plain silly.

Jack's B-Day, Diep's B-Day, Halloween

Jack's 2nd Birthday - Diep made the cake!

One thing about moving to California and being near my family. For the past 6 years, I have been away from all the celebrations, birthdays, death anniversaries, family get-togethers. However, now I get to enjoy these events that many of us take for granted. Diep and Erik have been my second family and invited me into their home as soon as I moved to the area. In fact, I even lived with them for 3 months before moving into my own abode. They have 2 wonderful kids whom I have grown to love. Jack just turned 2 and is a typical young gentlemen (terrbile 2!) while Ben is 7 months. Jack loves to eat fruit and dance to my hip-hop, Tammy's jammies music, while Ben is a laid back guy who is discovering his passion in life which could be Elmo, Baby Einstein videos, and balloons like his brother. I never thought I'd get used to babies being around but Jack and Ben have definetly initiated me into this "other life". Diep made Jack's b-day cake and I had the honor of making her dinner on her birthday. Next is Halloween!

Diep's B-day...my dinner for her....

Bruschetta w/Tomatoes from the Garden

Bag of Mushrooms w/Herb Cream